Improved paddle-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

SOLOMON KEPNER, OF POTTSTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,969, dated April 15,1862.

To @ZZ whom t 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, SOLOMON KEPNER, of Pottstown, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Paddle-VVheels; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, making part of this speciiication, in which myinvention is illustrated by a perspective View of a portion of apaddle-wheel.

The nature of my said improvement consists in a device of simpleconstruction operating in connection with a pivoted bucket to hold thesaid bucket rigidly during its downward and backward motion andreleasing it as it begins to ascend, so as to permit it to assume aposition in which it will pass through the water with the least possibleresistance.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents a portion of the side of a vessel.

B is a shaft carrying a disk O and radial arms D D', connected to thesaid disk by bars E and F, which are parallel with the shaft, but atdifferent distances therefrom, the bars F being at the eXtreme peripheryof the wheel7 as shown.

G G are buckets adapted to turn upon radial pivots g g', which pivotsare placed somewhat nearer to the arms I) D than to the disk C. Pins H(one shown) project from the face of the disk O in such posit-ion as toreceive and sustain the inner or longer ends of the pivoted buckets asthey fall into position on the descending side of the wheel.

I I are gravitating latches, by which the buckets are held in theirclosed position during a proper part of their revolution.

J is a segmental cam fixed to the vessels side concentrically with thewheel and employed to hold the gravitating latches I I inward upon thebuckets.

K is a stationary pin employed to throw the latches outward in order torelease the buckets at the proper time.

L are pins (one shown) which support the latches I when thrown off thebuckets.

M are pins (one shown) which support the buckets, so as to prevent themfalling too far outward to admit of their returning to a closed positionby their gravity at the proper moment.

The operation of the wheel is as follows: As each bucket begins todescend it falls into a closed position, and its latch I, falling overit and passing within the segmental cam J, secures the bucket rnilyagainst the action of the water. The bucket is thus held in the mosteffective position during such part of its revolution as it can actadvantageously; but immediately that it begins to ascend or reaches aposition where the force exerted upon the water will not be so directlyapplied to the propulsion of the vessel the latch I, passing under thefixed pin K, is thereby thrown from the bucket and the latter swingsback to such a position as to adapt it to pass upward through the waterwith the least possible resistance. The pins L and M are so placed as toprevent the latches and buckets falling back too far and to support themin such positions that the buckets first and the latches immediatelyafter will return to the closed position by their own gravity as theybegin to descend. The bucket G and latch I show the closed positions andthe bucket G and latch I the open.

In the drawing but ltwo arms and buckets are shown. In practice theywill of course extend completely around the wheel. Arms may also besubstituted for the disk O, if preferred.

I am aware that paddle-wheels have before been constructed with pivotedbuckets; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therein as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the pivoted buckets G G', latches I I', cam J, andpins H K L M, arranged and operating in the manner and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

The above specification of my improvement in paddle-wheels signed this19th day 0f February, 1862.

SOLOMON KEPNER.

Titnessesa OcTAvIUs KNIGHT, .I AMES H. GEIDLEY.

